The Magician's Secret
by Orion nine
Summary: Zatanna Zatara has a secret rendezvous with a close friend.


**The Magician's Secret**

Zatanna Zatara, world renowned magician, finally entered her deluxe hotel room suite at about one fifteen in the morning after just finishing her last performance of a three week long tour of northern Europe. She was so exhausted that she could barely stay awake long enough to magic herself out of her costume and makeup before slipping into her satin night gown and climbing into the big, soft, king bed that was waiting for her.

As soon as she laid her head on the fluffy, white pillow - her long black hair cascading around her oval face - she sighed contentedly and immediately began to drift away, letting her mind start to wander...

She suddenly found herself in a dark, empty void. Except, it couldn't be totally empty, because she felt she was walking through it. It was hard to tell, because her perspective kept changing. At first it seemed like she was seeing through her own two eyes as she walked along at an even pace, but then she could also see herself from a third person perspective as well, standing in the emptiness. She could see she was no longer in her night gown, but back in the costume she wore when she was on stage, a sexy tuxedo outfit with fishnet stockings and a bright yellow vest. That was always how she pictured herself in her own head.

She continued to drift through the darkness until she found herself in a clearing in a large, thick forest. It was the kind of forest that could only exist in German fairy tales, or Tim Burton movies. Tall twisted trees surrounded her and shadows darted through the brush just out of the corner of her eye.

It took her a moment to get her bearings as she tried to figure out where exactly she was now. Then out of nowhere a little white rabbit appeared from behind a tree.

The two locked eyes and Zatanna was suddenly filled with a mixture of dread and comfort. She knew she should trust the rabbit, but she couldn't remember why. It was almost like déjà vu, and yet it wasn't.

The white rabbit finally stopped staring at her, turned, and began to hop down a trail that Zatanna hadn't previously noticed. She followed it instinctively. Through the forest it hopped, the trail it was taking seeming to appear before it as it went, and Zatanna followed it and followed it for what seemed like hours, until finally the trees started to become fewer and far between and she could see a full moon in the dark sky above that lit up her surroundings. Finally, she and the rabbit emerged from the forest into a sprawling, old cemetery.

Zatanna stopped, but the rabbit continued on until it realized she wasn't right behind it anymore. It turned and looked at her again.

"It is such a secret place, the land of tears," she said to the rabbit, although she didn't really know why she said that, or where it was from.

The rabbit seemed unimpressed and began hopping again, disappearing behind a tombstone.

Zatanna shrugged and started walking amongst the graves. Some of the stones were so old that they were crumbling and the epithets on them could barely be read. Others seemed newer, and yet still gave the impression of age.

As she walked, aimlessly, Zatanna ran her gloved hand along the tops of the gravestones. This might be bad luck, she thought, but she wasn't particularly superstitious, and besides, this wasn't a real cemetery anyway, it was only a dream.

Wasn't it?

Zatanna walked and walked until she came to one particularly large tombstone. 

_Giovanni "John" Zatara_

Zatanna could read that name quite clearly and it made her heart hurt.

Suddenly, a gust of cold wind blew through the graveyard, moaning as it did so. It hit Zatanna hard and knocked the top hat she was wearing right off her head and onto the ground where it began to role. She chased after it and finally caught it. As she arose and put it back on, her attention was immediately grabbed by the huge, wooden house that now loomed in front of her at least three stories high.

"Aha," she said out loud, as things finally became crystal clear.

For most people, the confusion and displacement that comes with dreaming never really subsides. Most people never know they're dreaming when they're dreaming, but thanks to her innate magical abilities, coupled with the fact that she had been to this house before, Zatanna was now one hundred percent sure that she was in fact dreaming and she knew exactly where she was.

"The House of Secrets," she said.

The house had many windows, but the two largest ones were in the front near the top floor. They were also the only ones with lights on in them, making it look like the house had two glowing eyes that were looking down at her. The downward slant of the roof above them seemed to act as eyebrows giving the eyes a sad, yet stern expression.

Zatanna looked up at the house, trying to see into those windows, and the house, it seemed, looked back, trying to see into her.

A sudden creaking noise drew her attention towards the front door of the house where a hefty, dark-haired man with a goatee and a pinstripe suit was on his way out holding a silver tray with a full tea service on it.

"Z-Z-Zatanna! How are you, my d-d-dear?" he called to her.

"Oh, what can I say, Abel? Life is but a dream."

"Ha ha ha," Abel, caretaker of The House of Secrets, laughed a hearty laugh. "I d-d-do so enjoy your w-w-wit, Zatanna."

Zatanna smiled.

"I had almost forgotten our date," she said. "But as soon as I saw the house, it hit me."

"I'm g-g-glad," said Abel. "I've been looking f-f-forward to it for days. Please do come this w-w-way, won't you?"

He walked toward the cemetery and Zatanna saw only a few feet away, an old, weather beaten, wooden table with matching chairs was sitting amongst the graves. It had a tattered, lacey table clothe on it and two large, heavy candlesticks with candles in them that looked like they had been burned many times. The wax that had dripped down the sides looked like stalactites in a cave.

Abel placed the tray on the table and then pulled out a chair for Zatanna. She sat down in it and gave the caretaker an appreciative nod. Now it was Abel's turn to smile. He nervously began to pour her and himself some tea. Zatanna noticed his nervousness, but she knew he was pretty much always nervous, and so didn't think much of it.

"How about yourself, Abel?" she asked after he had taken his seat. "How have you been keeping?"

"Oh, fine, fine," he answered. "I've been very b-b-busy lately. It seems like th-th-there's more secrets than ever in the world n-n-nowadays."

"Truer words were never spoken," said Zatanna, toasting with her tea cup.

She took a sip.

"Mmm, good tea, Abel. What is it?"

"H-h-hemlock," Abel answered.

Zatanna paused for a moment.

"Okay," she said, and took another sip.

"Would you like to h-h-hear one? A secret I mean?"

"Sure, if you'd like to tell me," said Zatanna.

"Alright, let me see. There was once a little boy and little girl who lived next door to one another. The little girl always wore a red ribbon around her neck, but nobody knew why and the boy never asked."

"Hey, your stutter is gone," said Zatanna.

"Y-y-yes, I never s-s-stutter when I tell stories," said Abel.

"Oooh. Carry on."

"So, eventually, when the boy and girl were in high school they started dating each other and even then the girl always wore the red ribbon around her neck and the boy never asked why. Then they went on to college together where they continued to go steady and after that they got engaged and were married. Even on their wedding day the woman wore the red ribbon around her neck.

"I think I know where this is going," said Zatanna. "But go on."

"Finally, many, many years later, after being together practically their entire lives, the couple, now in their eighties, were sitting in their rocking chairs on their front porch and the old woman was still wearing the red ribbon around her neck that the old man had never asked about and he finally said to her, "You know, in all these years I've never asked you why you always wear that red ribbon around your neck, but now I'm curious, why do you?""

""Do you really want to know?" she asked him."

""Yes," he said. "Tell me.""

"The old woman shrugged and slowly began to unwind the ribbon from her neck and when she finally removed the whole thing… her head fell off."

"Well… I actually did not see that one coming after all," said Zatanna. "That was quite a twist, but now that you've told it to me, isn't it not a secret anymore?"

"Well, I d-d-didn't tell you the names of the p-p-people it happened t-t-to, or the w-w-when or where, so I th-th-think it's okay. Plus, it's not a t-t-true story and it's kind of o-o-old anyway. I'm surp-p-prised you haven't heard it all r-r-ready to be honest."

"Nope, it's new to me," said Zatanna. "And I liked that it was a secret about a secret."

"Th-th-thank you. You're a w-w-wonderful audience," said Abel.

The two sat sipping tea and eating cookies for several minutes in a comfortable silence and then Zatanna spoke.

"Okay, speaking of audiences, that reminds me," she said, standing up. "How would you like to see one of my latest tricks? It's one I'm still working on and haven't performed for anyone yet."

"That s-s-sounds delightful," said Abel.

"Well, since you shared something with me, I figure I should share something with you too."

Zatanna went over to Abel's side of the table. She reached into one of her jacket's inner pockets and pulled out a deck of playing cards.

"Let me just give them a quick shuffle," she said, and shot the cards from one hand to the other and then in an arc above her head.

Abel clapped like a large child.

"Okay," said Zatanna, holding out the cards to Abel like a fan. "You know the drill."

Abel picked a card.

"Now, without showing it to me, tear it up and put it in your jacket pocket," she said.

Abel did so.

"Now watch closely," said Zatanna, and she held her hand up in the air and let the cards go shooting upwards. As they did so, they began to turn into white doves which flew in every direction. When there were no cards left she looked at Abel.

"Check your pocket," she said.

"The p-p-pieces are gone!" said Abel, fumbling around in his jacket.

All of a sudden a dove landed on the table in front of him holding a card in its beak. Frightened, Abel jumped back, but then reached out and took the card from the bird.

"Ace of spades. That was m-m-my card!" he said.

"Tada!" said Zatanna, bowing.

"Wow, that was v-v-very impressive. I sup-p-pose it's done with real magic?" said Abel.

"Actually, no. It's a practical effect. That's what makes it an even more amazing trick." said Zatanna.

"Want to know the secret?"

"If you want to t-t-tell me." said Abel.

"Normally I wouldn't reveal my secrets to anyone, but seeing as how it's you…"

She leaned in close and whispered into his ear.

He smiled.

"That's very c-c-clever." said Abel. "But I would expect nothing l-l-less from you."

All of a sudden the dove that was still on the table opened his beak, but instead of a cooing sound, a loud buzzing noise came out.

"Oh, no," said Zatanna. "I think I have to go."

Abel looked crestfallen.

"But It feels like I just got here," said Zatanna.

"It does ind-d-deed ," said Abel.

He stood up.

"Here, if you m-m-must go, at least take something to remember this e-e-evening by."

He plucked the white carnation from the lapel of his suit jacket and placed it in Zatanna's hand.

"Thank you," she said. "I had a wonderful time. You're a most gracious host."

As the buzzing noise got louder and louder Zatanna leaned in and gave the caretaker a small kiss on the cheek.

"Litnu ew teem niaga," she whispered, and everything suddenly began to go white.

Zatanna awoke in her hotel room bed. Sunlight was streaming in through the suite's large windows and the alarm clock on the nightstand next to her was buzzing away.

She reached over and shut it off with a hard smack. Then she lay there for a moment trying to remember what she had been dreaming about. Suddenly, it all came back to her and she reached down beneath the covers and pulled out a white carnation.

This'll just be my little secret, she thought to herself, and smiled.


End file.
